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Fish4Life provides everything you need to enjoy seafood responsibly. Explore information and practical tips for safe and sustainable seafood consumption, and help protect marine life by reporting undersized or illegally traded seafood.

Yellowmouthed barracuda
Sphyraena viridensis
Λούτσος

Sustainability Status

Currently considered sustainable

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Help us protect our seas by reporting illegal or undersized fish that you see in markets, restaurants or fishing boats
Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Legal

Minimum Size

–

Prohibited Consumption Period

–

Sustainable

Minimum Size

28 cm

Avoid Consumption Period

May – July

Advice for Consumption

Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable.

Greek legislation does not establish a minimum landing size or a closed season for this species, leaving both juvenile and spawning fish completely unprotected. Respect minimum sustainable size limits and do not consume during its breeding season.

Choose sustainable seafood!

Archipelagos Tips

Choosing larger, mature fish helps reduce fishing pressure on juvenile individuals.

Common names

FR

Barracuda à bouche jaune

it

Barracuda mediterraneo

es

Espetón boca amarilla

tr

Turna

pt

Bicuda

nl

Europese barracuda

de

Gelbmaul Barrakuda

toxicity

This species is safe to consume.

iucn info

Least concern (LC)

Description

Mainly silvery-gray with a darker back than belly. It has about twenty black stripes on the dorsal part and on the flanks. The head is slender and pointed, with a large eye located in the middle of the head and a large mouth. The fins are grey and the pectoral fin does not reach base of pelvic fin.

It looks like Sphyraena sphyraena (European barracuda), unlike Sphyraena sphyraena, the teeth of Sphyraena viridensis are not visible when its mouth is closed. The stripes of the latter are less distinct compared to Sphyraena sphyraena.

Did you know?

Some of their teeth are angled backwards, preventing fish from slipping out of their mouth!

Ecological Aspects

Diet

Carnivorous.
Feeds mostly on fish, less often on cephalopods and crustaceans.

habitat

Its habits are probably similar to those of the phylogenetically closely related Sphyraena sphyraena. Found in coastal and offshore waters.

Max size & depth range

Max length: 128 cm
Max weight: 8.2 kg
Depth range: 0-100 m

breeding & Growth

They are gonochoristic, meaning they have distinct, separate male and female sexes throughout their lives, with females generally growing larger than males. In the Mediterranean and Eastern Atlantic breeds from late spring to summer, with spawning peaking between June through August.
Growth rate: Slow (k = 0.08yr⁻¹).

Longevity & presence

Lifespan: 12-14 years
Max reported age: 14 years
Distribution: Cape Verde and the Canary Islands. Also reported from Lebanon in the Eastern Mediterranean. Its exact distribution and abundance are unknown because most published records do not separate it from Sphyraena sphyraena.

appearance changes

They have distinct yellow or greenish colorations to camouflage themselves in seagrass and shallow nursery beds. As they mature, their coloration shifts to dark gray or green on the upper back and silvery-white on the belly. They develop about 20 to 23 vertical, dark bars along their flanks.

Reproductive Cycle

It is a multiple (fractional) spawner that releases eggs in several batches over an extended summer breeding season. A single female produces anywhere from 2,000 to over 45,000 eggs per individual spawning batch, depending on her size.
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Good choice – Consumption of this species is currently considered sustainable

Illegal species – Fishing, selling and consumption of this species is illegal

Fishstocks – Declining due to overexploitation

Think before you eat – This species faces increasing pressures and should only be consumed responsibly

Bad choice – Consumption of this species is unsustainable

Health concerns –
Can accumulate dangerously high levels of toxic substances harmful to health

Alien / Invasive – This species is not from this region and can have a negative impact on the ecosystem and threaten local biodiversity, so it is sustainable to eat

Aquafarms – You will commonly find this species coming from aquafarms